Today’s
recipe has been a long time coming. In fact, it is one of the first things I
knew I wanted to post about after I started writing to you all, yet it’s taken
me until now to finally do so. Don’t ask me why. I think it’s something to do
with other things getting in the way. Things like; Norwegian apple cake and
cheddar jalapeño biscuits. Or perhaps it was the 5-layer chocolate pie or
icebox cookies...

But I’m
happy to say that the proud day has come to share with you one of the
best-loved Norwegian pastries of all-time! A treat loved by school children and
American expatriates alike.

Skoleboller,
or “school buns” are what you find in every cafe, at every ferry boat kiosk,
7-11 store, school cafeteria, elderly center coffee hour, grocery store, 8-year
old birthday party, and of course, my cozy kitchen in Førde. Like any good
Norwegian pastry, it is made with butter, flour, and sugar, and flavored with a
good pinch of cardamom. Chewy and fragrant, skoleboller (school-ah bowl-aire)
are filled with an eggy vanilla custard and drizzled with a powdered sugar
glaze before being dipped into sweet, desiccated coconut. In all honesty, it’s
the coconut that makes me a sucker for these buns. Well, really it’s the
cardamom combined with the vanilla and coconut. Of course, I know there are a
good deal of coconut haters out there (my aunt Wendy, for example) and in an
effort to include you too, I’ll give the go-ahead to just stick with the
custard and glaze and leave the coconut off. Of course, please keep in mind
that I won’t be eating my skoleboller at your house.

Now, to
tell you all the truth, Norwegians don’t tend to make skoleboller at home. The
ones you can get at all of the places I mentioned above are usually pretty
decent and only cost about $1.50. However,I for one enjoy knowing what goes into what I eat, and I
also like to play around with how much cardamom flavor my buns have or how
thick and custardy my vanilla custard becomes. And of course, with this recipe,
you can have skoleboller anytime you like; even when a Norwegian cafe, 7-11, or
elderly care center is not to be found!

The recipe
is rather simple. Don’t be put off by the number of steps! The homemade vanilla
custard can easily be substituted with a store bought mix or even a good
vanilla pudding. The dough is allowed a quick one-hour rise before being formed
into cute, little, buns and indented to make room for that tasty, tasty vanilla
custard. And who doesn’t like vanilla custard? I made mine on a Monday night
just in time for my Norwegian to bring them to his work meeting the following
morning, but I don’t see why a Suzy Homemaker, Patty Working Mom, or Joe the
Plumber couldn’t wake up on a lazy Saturday morning and make a batch of these
as a late breakfast treat. Just don’t forget the black coffee and the milk for
the kids!

1. In a
large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the luke warm milk. Add the melted (and
cooled) butter, the sugar, cardamom,and 5 cups (550 grams) of the flour. Blend well.

2. Slowly
add more flour until a smooth, slightly sticky dough forms. Turn the dough out
onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead for a minute or two until
a soft dough is formed. If needed,add another tablespoon or two of flour to prevent sticking.

3. Place
the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic, and allow to rise to double
its’ size, about 1 hour.

This would
be a good time to make your vanilla custard (ingredients above and instructions
at the bottom):

4. Punch
the dough down, divide into small balls (12-14 will make the traditional, large
skoleboller, while 22-24 will make nice, little kid portions).

5. Form
each ball into an evenly round, flat bun. Place on a parchment-lined baking
tray with at least an inch between each one. Cover with a clean dishcloth and
allow to make a second rise for about 20 minutes. In the mean time, preheat
oven to 400F (200C).

6. After
the 20 minute rising period is up, use the back of a spoon to create a
good-sized indentation in the center of each bun (about the size of a soup
spoon).

7. Place a
generous spoonful of the egg custard in the center of each indentation. Bake on
the bottom rack for 10-12 minutes. Take your skoleboller out when they begin to
slightly brown on the tops and the egg custard is just starting to set.

8. Allow to
cool on a wire rack (The vanilla custard will set a bit once cooled down). Once
your buns are cooled, you can drizzle on your confectioner’s sugar glaze –
simply whisk the powdered sugar and water together. The glaze should be white,
not translucent, and should be able to drizzle but not run, add more sugar or
water, accordingly).

9. Once
glazed, dip your buns into a bowl or plate full of the desiccated coconut and
swirl around a bit until all of the glaze is sufficiently covered with the
coconut- careful not to destroy your custard centers.

10. Serve
with coffee and milk at home, at school, at the office, at social hour, at a
birthday party,on a picnic, on a
hike, or anywhere else that seems fit.

To make the
vanilla custard:

1. Whisk
the egg yolks and sugar together very well.

2. Bring
the whole milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Slowly pour the egg yolk
mixture into the milk, whisking briskly. Add the vanilla.

3. While
your egg and milk mixture is still simmering, add the cornstarch,
little-by-little, whisking briskly. Allow the cornstarch to fully dissolve and
the custard to thicken while stirring the entire time. It will take about 3- 5
minutes for the custard to thicken enough.

Comments

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